WHO Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework Global Survey update

Online results submission from health-care facilities completing the WHO Framework has now been extended until December 2011 due to enthusiasm from countries wishing to coordinate a number of submissions. Over the last few months you received an email invitation to participate in this survey which included a personal link enabling you to submit your health-care facility’s results online. If you haven't yet, please participate in the Global Survey! You will help WHO to assess progress of hand hygiene improvement around the world! Enquiries can be sent to WHOframework.survey@who.int

Since 5 May, it has been exciting to see that people continue to submit health-care facility registrations to WHO, demonstrating the commitment of those working in health care to keep patients safe. The total number is now at 14,374. Congratulations to Canada who recently submitted 600 registrations following a culmination of activities focused around 5 May 2011. Keep up with registration numbers by WHO region and country and start planning what you can do now to increase numbers in your area. If you have just joined us read more background on the SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign launched in 2009.

Getting ready for 5 May 2012!

Celebrations for next 5 May aim to be as inclusive as possible for everyone! The day actually falls on a Saturday, a working day for some but not others. Activities in support of 5 May have always been promoted as 'on or around 5 May' to ensure all health-care workers can have the opportunity to take part in important hand hygiene awareness raising activities. We encourage those working on 5 May, particularly our colleagues in countries where Saturday is a regular working weekday as in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and other parts of the world, while the celebrations around the world will also continue on until 7 May. As ever WHO wants to hear about your SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands supporting activities on whichever day you hold them. We strongly encourage you to start thinking about how you will promote your plans and activities on line. Last year we started to feature web links to those sites who did just this; this year WHO aims to feature even more links to demonstrate just how strong and important your work really is in keeping the hand hygiene agenda alive, every day, every month, every year.
Watch our web pages for updates on 5 May 2012, coming soon!!

A new country pledge to reducing health care-associated infection

Congratulations to Tunisia who recently pledged their commitment to addressing health care-associated infections. This takes the total number of countries who have pledged to 125, amazing commitment!

European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Workshop

Read more about an ESCMID workshop on health care-associated infections organized in collaboration with us and the Geneva WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety; Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Health care-associated Infections in ''Real'' Life, 30 November - 2 December 2011, Rome, Italy. Registration is still open!

WHO Hand Hygiene Tools and locally adapted tools

Remember that WHO provides a number of tools for you to download and use locally, in English, French and Spanish so far. Additionally, a number have been translated locally and approved by WHO so are now featured on our web pages.

Providing WHO information has to be balanced with available resources, both human and financial. The WHO Patient Safety Programme, including the Clean Care is Safer Care team, do their best to translate their most relevant tools and documents. Regretfully, we are not currently in a position to translate this SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands newsletter into French or Spanish. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and hope that you will remain a valued reader of the newsletter.